Boat.



W. H. WILLIAMS.

BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30.1912.

Patented May 14, 1912.

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W. H. WILLIAMS.

BOAT.

APPLICATION TILED JAILGO, 1912. 1,026,336. Patented May 14, 1912.

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WILLIAM H. WILLIAMS, 0F STATESBORO, GEORGIA.

BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1912.

Application filed January 30, 1912! Serial No. 674,310.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. WIL- LIAMS, acitizen of the United States, residing at Statesboro, in the county ofBulloch and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Boats; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to boats and more particularly to that class ofboats having paddle wheels operated by pedals.

An object of this invention is to provide a boat of the above statedcharacter which will be light in construction and easy to operate.

Another object is to construct a boat of the above stated characterhaving parallel buoys alongeach side to steady the boat and preventcapsizing of the same.

Another object is to construct a boat of this nature-having ruddercontrolling means positioned beneath the operators seat, for controllingthe rudder without the necessity of the operator leaving his seat.

Further objects and advantages will be hereinafter set forth and pointedout in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings which form a part of this application, Figure1 represents a side elevation of the complete boat in water. Fig. 2 is asectional view through the propelling mechanism and bearing means forthe same. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the paddle wheel. Fig. 4- is a topplan view of the boat, the upper ends of the posts 13, the auxiliarybuoys and the bracing wires for the posts being removed, and, Fig. 5 isa front elevation of the complete boat.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1represents the buoys which are preferably in the form of long hollowempty tubes having rounded caps 2 upon their opposite ends to close saidends. The buoys 1 are strengthened and reinforced by the rings 3positioned at spaced distances within said buoys.

The buoys 1 are connected and held parallel to one another and spacedfrom each other by the joists 4, which have their opposite ends securedto the buoys 1 near the opposite ends thereof and at the center of saidbuoys and between the ends and center of the buoys 1, and are held inproper position upon the buoys 1 by means of bolts 5 or the like passedtherethrough and through the buoys and the ring 3. The flooring strips 6are secured upon the joist 4t and extend from end to end orlongitudinally of the boat.

The boat is braced by means of the cross wires 7 extending diagonallyacross the flooring strips (5 from corner to corner of the flooring ofthe boat, with their ends secured over the hooks 8 carried by the bolts5, the wire 7 crossing at about the center of the floor and passing, atthis point, around the short center post 9 carried upon the centerflooring strip 6 about midway its length. Bracing wires 10 also havetheir lower ends engaged over the hooks 8 while their upper ends aresecured in a ring 11 carried by a cap 12 secured over the upper ends ofthe slanting posts 13. The slanting posts 13 have their lower endssecured to the side flooring strips 6, as shown at 14, and convergetoward their upper ends to receive the cap 12. The cap 12 also hassecured upon its opposite sides the hollow empty members 15, which arepreferably of cylindrical form in cross section and have their endsclosed. It will be evident that the small hollow empty members 15 willserve as buoys should the boat capsize, for the reason that should theboat rock far enough to either side to raise one of the buoys 1 out ofthe water, the hollow empty member 15 upon the other side will strikethe water and prevent further movement of the boat in that direction. Itwill also be evident that the boat may be readily returned to its properposition, returning the second buoy 1 to the watcr,-to right the boat.

Secured to the flooring strips 6 slightly rearwardly of the posts 13 isa back 16 for the operators seat 17, the seat projecting in a forwarddirection from the back 16 and being braced by the arms 18 havingopposite ends secured to the sides of the seat 17 and back 16. The smallextension seat 19 projects from the main seat 17, between the post-s 13.The seat 19 is adapted to accommodate a child operator and is slightlylower than the seat 17 which is especially adapted to accommodate anadult.

Beneath the seats 17 and 19 is a rearwardly and downwardly curved ruddercarrying arm 20 which projects through an opening 21 in the flooringstrips 6 and has its central portion 22 broadened with V a rounded crossridge upon its upper face and a vertical bolt opening 23 therethrough. Abolt 24: is passed through this opening 23 and into a block 25 upon theunder side of the strips 6 slightly rearwardly of the opening 21, therounded cross ridge on the upper side of the central portion 22 bearingagainst the block 25 to steady the rudder. The opening 23 is preferablytapered downwardly to permit proper swinging of the rudder carrying arm20, to raise or lower the rudder 26 carried upon the lower end of saidrudder carrying arm 20. Secured centrally to the upper end of the ruddercarrying arm 20, is a semi-circular operating handle 27, which isnormally in a horizontal position beneath the seats 17 and 19, saidhandle projecting beyond the sides and front edges of the seats to bereadily grasped by the operator for raising or lowering the rudder 26 orswinging the latter to either side to guide the boat.

Positioned upon the forward portion of the flooring strips 6, forwardlyof the posts 13, is a paddle wheel casing 28 which extends to adjacentthe forward edge of the extension seat 19. Secured in the opposite sidesof the casing 28 are the bearing sleeves 29 which are secured inposition by the bolts 30 passed through their flanges, through the sidesof the casing 28 and into the strengthening arch 31 positionedtransversely within the casing 28. A shaft 32 is passed through thecasing 28 and through the bearing sleeves 29 and has a hub 33 rigidlymounted thereupon between the bearing sleeves 29. The spokes or pedalcarrying arms 34 have their inner ends secured in the hub 33 and projectradially therefrom with the paddles 35 upon their outer or free ends.

The ends of the shaft 32, passing through the bearing sleeves 29 arethreaded and have the opposed bearing collars 36 positioned on saidthreaded portions with runways 37 adapted for cooperation with therunways 38 formed in the bearing sleeves 29 to accommodate bearing balls39 to reduce friction to the minimum. The runways 37 are provided in thecollars 36 by cutting away one edge of each collar while the runways 38in the bearing sleeves 29 are formed by reducing the thickness of saidsleeves at their opposite edges, leaving the central ridge 40 around theinterior of each sleeve. It will be seen that as the bearing collars 36are opposed to one another and positioned within the opposite edges ofthe bearing sleeves 29, the bearing balls 39 are properly held in theircooperating runways 37 and 38.

Positioned upon the extremities of the shaft 32 outwardly of the casing28 and the bearing sleeves 29, and oppositely directed, are the rightangled pedal carrying arms 11 which have the paddle operating pedals 42positioned upon their free or right angled portions.

It will be apparent that the operator positioned upon the seat 17 or theextension seat 19 may readily revolve the shaft 32 to ma-' nipulate thepaddles 35 by operating the pedals 26 may also be raised, lowered orturned, by the operator, as desired, by grasping the controlling handle37 and moving the same in the proper direction, without leaving hisseat.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a boat of extremely simpleconstruction and which will be light in weight and easy to operate, andalso one which may be readily guided by the operator while positionedupon his seat. It will also be evident that should the boat capsize itmay be readily returned to its proper position.

What I claim is:

1. A boat comprising buoys, means for reinforcing the buoys, meansconnecting the buoys and having their ends secured to the buoys and thebuoy reinforcing means, flooring strips secured to the buoy connectingmeans, a seat positioned upon the flooring strips, posts projectingupwardly from the flooring strips, auxiliary buoys carried by the posts,bracing means connecting the posts and the flooring strips, a paddlewheel for propelling the boat, means for supporting and protecting thepaddle wheel, means for operating the paddle wheel, a rudder for theboat, and means positioned beneath the seat and projecting through andsecured to the flooring strips for controlling the propeller.

2. A boat comprising buoys of cylindrical form in cross section andhaving rounded closed ends, means within the buoys for reinforcing thelatter, joists secured to the buoys to hold the same in spaced parallelrelation to one another, flooring strips secured across the joists,bracing wires se cured diagonally above the flooring strips, a paddlewheel casing secured upon the flooring strips, a paddle wheel within thecasing and working through a suitable opening in the flooring strips, ashaft for said paddle wheel, bearing means for the shaft, pedals uponthe ends of the shaft outwardly of the casing and bearing means, a nameto this specification in the presence of strengtgleningditrchhwilthinthe casing and two subscribing Witnesses. over t e pad' e W ee, anoperators seat rearwal'dly of the casing, means for guiding WILLIAMWILLIAMS the boat, and means beneath the seat for Witnesses: controllingthe guiding means. W. E. WRIGHT,

In testimony whereof I have signed my W. T. FITZ GERALD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

